Celebrities and Journalists Attend the Trump-Less White House Correspondents' Dinner

Saturday, Apr 29, 2017

Celebrities and media correspondents walked the red carpet for the president-less White House Correspondents' Dinner, an annual event that celebrates journalists who cover the White House. In contrast with last year, when guests at former President Barack Obama's final dinner included Emma Watson, Kerry Washington and Helen Mirren, this year's guests include NBC's Chris Matthews, CNN's Don Lemon and author James Patterson.

With President Donald Trump sending his regrets, the attention of the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner was no longer focused on an in-person roasting of the commander in chief.

The red carpet that once featured Oscar winners, TV stars and a few major-league athletes barely turned heads. Instead, speakers at the dinner promoted press freedom and responsibility and challenged Trump's accusations of dishonest reporting.

The stars of the night were Watergate reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who recounted what they learned about journalism from their reporting for The Washington Post that helped lead to President Richard Nixon's resignation more than 40 years ago.

And comic Hasan Minhaj roasted the missing president, saying: "I think he's in Pennsylvania because he can't take a joke."